The Return
by TheDeathMaiden
Summary: 18 year old May has always known she was different. It takes a trip to the past for her find out truly how different she is. Will she accept who she is and save Innocence or will she turn her back on it and fall into the arms of Darkness?
1. Fall of the Maidens

~1394~ Scotland~

I slashed my sword through the sub in front of me. His black eyes flashed with hatred. As he died his eyes turned blue. Subs are humans who have sold their sold to the devil. When they die they turn back to their human selves. I used to feel remorse when I killed them for they can be saved just by being exorcised but here in the midst of such a bloody battle I didn't even give him a second thought. I moved on to the next enemy, a large man with a broadsword. He came at me, trying to gut me. Before he could slice my stomach open I blocked his strike. I grunted as my smaller sword met his larger sword with a shower of sparks. I braced my legs as he pushed down with all his strength. Had I been well rested, I could have thrown him back several meters but I had been fighting for many hours and the toll was evident. I no longer moved with swiftness and grace. The giant of a man cursed me and my ancestors, if he knew that I was born of the gods, I'm sure he would have never dared to speak such foul language. I gripped the sword tighter with my right hand, let go with my left, reached over to the sheath on my right hip and pulled out another sword. I sliced the man's chest wide open. Blood sprayed over me, coming down like rain. I felt the familiar bloodlust come over me, as my vampire half tried to take control of my body. I beat it back. I wiped the blood from my eyes and looked to the sky. The sun was finally setting, a few more hours and the armies would retreat to their camps. We could rest until tomorrow and then we shall start this madness all over again. I looked over to my right where a few people were locked in hand to hand combat. Men fell by the dozen. So much blood spilled, so much Innocence destroyed, all because of one man's lunacy. I looked up when I heard my hawk, Nitoh Mahkwi, shriek. He dived and slashed at Sub's eyes. That's my boy! He flapped his wings gaining altitude. He dived and attacked another Sub. I heard a voice in my mind asking for help. I turned and raced over to help a Master battling a demon and gang of about 10 Subs. I cut ones head off and stabbed another through the chest. Before I could continue with my rampage of carnage (I enjoy this way too much) a piercing scream split the air. I looked up and saw Akatsuki, my sister in arms, drop to her knees. Behind her holding a bloody sword was the man all of Alba hated and feared: Moray. He was the spawn of the devil. He has boyishly good looks but his heart is darker and colder than a winter night in the Highlands. He smiled at me as Akatsuki fell. My vision turned red, a wave of pure outrage washed through me. I sprinted to the hill so fast that I blurred. I slashed and hacked at all the enemies who where stupid enough to get in my way. If I could get to her I could heal and save her. As I bounded up the hill I left my body and I looked down upon a horrific scene. A field turned muddy from all the blood spilt that day. A girl running so fast she was nothing but a blur. She was drenched in blood, dressed in black from neck to toe. Her swords flashed to and fro slicing everything in their path. Her cape is flapping behind her like wings. She is an avenging angel. As she reached the top of the hill, she stabbed her swords into the ground, she kneeled and a white light shined around her. I wanted to scream, tell her to run, that it was a trap. Before I could do anything a beautiful man appeared behind her. He smiled and speared through her with his sword. He bent down whispered something in her ear, pulled out his sword, and turned around to meet another girl's sword. This girl had murderous rage clearly on her face. Moray held her back. A sub came in from behind and slit her throat. She landed heavily on her back. The other girl finally set down the person in her arms. She stumbled and fell on her back. I felt myself slipping back into her body. I looked up. A black hawk circled high above me. There was rainbow high up in the clouds. Pain racked my body I knew I didn't have enough strength to heal myself so I started sliding into death's cold embrace. I turned my head and looked over at Akatsuki turned over to look on my other side and there was Melinda. Both had already stopped breathing. A tear slipped free from my eyes. I had failed my friends and I had failed the people of this world. Without my sisters here to help me defend the Light I no longer wanted to continue living. I felt my power slipping but before I died I put every bit of energy I could gather from myself and the people around me into the sapphire inset in the necklace around my neck. The next Maiden would need every ounce of energy she could get her hands on. Then I let go and floated into the void.


	2. The Beginning of an Adventure

~2011~Las Vegas~

Chapter 1: May

I quickly sat up in my bed. There were tears sliding down my face, and a cold sweat dripping down my body. That was the 3rd night in a row that I had dreamed of the same thing. What scared me the most is that it felt so déjà vu. I knew I could no longer go back to sleep so I got up and jumped into the shower. When I got out, I dried off and put on my clothes. Uh oh, my skinny jeans are feeling a little too tight. It's time to start hitting the gym again. I had barely put my shirt on when my cell phone rang.

"Hello, who is this?" I whispered. I don't want to wake up my parents. As if they would hear through the walls and rooms that separated us but you can never be too careful. I didn't want to start out the day with my father telling me how much of a bad daughter I was.

"Hey! Hurry up May, we're going to be late for the trip!" It was my best friend, Melissa.

Today we are going to visit the history museum. We're going to learn about an ancient battle and some great warriors. Lady Akatsuki, Lady Maiesta, and Lady Melinda were some of the greatest warriors of their time. It is said that they fought many powerful demons and that they had magical powers themselves. This is the first time that I have actually been excided for a field trip.

"I'm going! Geez, let me eat breakfast, I'll be at your house in about 30 minutes." I finished getting ready and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Breakfast was being made by our chef, Lucy. I hurried our grabbed some toast with butter on it and some orange juice. I ate as quickly as I could without choking.

"My my, aren't we in a hurry" Lucy said. She was a short, kind woman with round pink cheeks. She has been more of a mother to me than my actual mother. My parents are always too busy with their business to notice that I even exist.

"You know Melissa will flip out if I'm late" I told her. I swallowed some more juice, grabbed my back pack, and headed out to the garage.

"You're forgetting something!" Lucy yelled. I looked back and she was holding my keys. What would I do without her? I ran back over to her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thanks!" I grabbed the keys and ran out. I went over to my car, a black 2009 Maserati Gran Turismo S. The car was worth almost $200,000. I'm sure my parents bought it for me because they wanted to make up for the fact that they spend NO time with me what so ever. I both hate and love driving this car. I hate it because it makes me seem like a spoiled, rich brat that gets everything she wants. On the other hand, I love it because it goes so fast. I love speed; something about the adrenaline rush just drives me crazy. I plugged my IPod in and played one of my favorite songs, Highway to Hell. I pushed a button and the garage door opened. I saw the 20+ other cars in here. My parents just love wasting money on crap they never use. If it were up to me I would have donated it to cancer research. I saw the front gates open and I floored the gas pedal, going from 0 to 62 in 4.9 seconds. Boy, I'm glad I paid attention during those stunts- driving lesson or I would have ran somebody over. I raced through traffic and sped down streets. I enjoy the sensation of invincibility that I always get. Out of nowhere, I'm hit with a sort of vision. _I'm riding on a black horse that's going faster than any horse should be able to go. I lift my arms holding on with only my legs. I trust my safety to the horse completely. I lift my arms; feel the air rushing against my face._ I snap out of it. The light ahead of me is turning yellow. I push harder on the gas and speed by right before it turns red. Thank God there are no police officers around. I can't imagine the "talk" I would get if I got a ticket. I screech stop right before Melissa, who is sitting on the side walk outside of her house.

"Gee, May, you really know how to make an entrance." She says as she gets into the car.

"You know it" I wink at her. We laugh and I drive over to the museum. What I love about Vegas is that nobody thinks twice about an expensive car driving around in a modest neighborhood. I look up at the sky it looks really gray today. I sure hope it doesn't rain. I just washed the car! We talked about normal things while I drove. Mel's boyfriend is being a jerk so she broke up with him...again... I really don't understand why they even keep trying. They've been off and on for almost a year. He's cheated on her too. I would have dropped him like it's hot after I caught him the first time, but Mel is in "love". I sigh. I hate seeing the only true friend I've ever had in pain. Every other person who ever wanted to be "friends" with me was after one thing: money. Before I could tell her anything else we arrive at the museum. It's a huge yellow-ish building, nothing too extraordinary. I park the car and we walk over to the entrance. There is a group of children there. I walk over to them looking for my cousin, Sam. The moment Sam sees me she runs over and jumps up into my arms.

"May, you came!" She hugs me hard. Damn, for a little girl she's strong. "Of course, Sammy, I wouldn't have missed this. And look who I brought" I motion over to Melissa. Sam jumps out my arms and runs over to her. They hug and laugh. Everybody in my family acts as if Mel is part of the family, except for my parents that is. They can't understand why I hang out with people that are "below" me. They act as if they were never normal, as if they were always rich. I hate it so much. They just don't ever understand! I look down, my hands curling up into fists. I hate them sometimes. Oh, look my converse is untied. I bent down to tie them and have another vision. _I'm bending down zipping up my black boots. I stand up and look at myself in the mirror. I am beautiful. I turn around and pick up the cape that is on the large bed. Two golden words are written on the back: __Death Maiden__._ I blink. Damn that's been happening a lot lately. I finish tying my shoe and stand up. Hey! Where did everybody go? I see a kid turn the corner and run to catch up. I run into a redhead. Her eyes were a nice shade of green. It was as if I had met her before, but where? I get a strong sense of déjà vu. We stare at each other for a moment. She mumbles "sorry" and moves on. Huh, weird. I wonder where I might have seen her before.

I really don't remember the rules we were suppose to follow, the moment the guide said "go explore" I bolted. I ran down hallways leaving everybody behind. So much for the buddy system! I ran towards the exhibition that I wanted to see and when I got there was a sign that said "Sorry for the inconvenience but the main exhibition was Moved to Scotland". I stood there looking at the sign. I started getting pissed off; I had been so excited for the exhibit! I saw somebody out of the corner of my eye. I looked to the side and that same redhead girl was staring at me. "What is this?" I said.

"I-It w-a-a-s mo-v-ed to Scotland" she stuttered quietly.

"I came all this way to see this exhibition and it was moved to Scotland! What the hell?" I bellowed.

She stepped back. "He-r-re you c-can have this if y-you ever go to Sco-t-tland." She said handing me some tickets. I looked down and saw that they were backstage passes for the "Swords of The Maidens" exhibition. I looked back up but she was gone. I guess she ran away after handing me the tickets.

"Thanks." I called after her. I went and looked for Melissa. I found her talking to a cute boy that worked here. The boy gave her some papers; they seemed to like each other. I ran over and pushed the boy out of the way.

"Sorry! I need to borrow her for a lil while!" I told the bewildered guy. He slowly walked away, looking back every couple of steps. That's right, keep walking punk! "Hey Mel, want to go to Scotland?" I asked turning back to look at her.

"What?" She said dropping the museum papers that were in her hand.

"You know Scotland. Land of cake and whiskey" I said.

"Yeah I know but why do you want to go there?" She said picking up the papers she dropped. She gave me a death glare as she bent down. I was way too worked up to notice or even care for that matter.

"Well, because you know that exhibit that I wanted to go see? It got moved to Scotland." I said in my nicest voice possible, I felt like punching something.

"And I should go with you because…?" She said looking at the papers then looking over at the guy who was leaning against the front desk looking at us. I rolled my eyes.

"Well because you're my best friend and you're suppose go anywhere with me so that's why." I said.

"Fine fine," she said still looking at the guy, "So when are we going." I snapped my fingers right in front of her face.

"Now." I said grabbing her by the arm.

"Wait May I at least need to get my stuff ready!" Melissa said behind me. I started dragging her to the car.

"Bull, you just want to go talk to that guy" I open the car doors and we got inside.

"Drive me home so that I can get some of my things ready" She said. I knew she was pissed off. I'll make it up to her later.

"Fine, come and meet me at my place at 5:00 pm." I said as I started the car. We screeched out of the museum parking lot. I floored the gas pedal driving as fast as I could. I'm gonna need time of we're going to pull this off. I dropped Mel off at her house and drove to mine. Here comes the hard part: asking my parents for money to go to Scotland.


	3. All Grown Up

***Is anybody even reading this? :(***

Chapter 2:Amaya

"What a day! I hope I don't see that really scary girl ever again." I said to myself as I walk over to the conference room. I wonder what they possibly wanted to talk to me about. I'd gotten called over to the room a few minutes ago. I have a bad feeling about this. I walk in and see my boss, Oscar sitting at the front end of the long table. The moment I walk in I see him stare down at my breasts. Perv.

"Amaya, you have been doing really great in your job recently. I thought a trip to Scotland would be a perfect way to repay you for your excellent service." Says ,Oscar, my boss.

"A trip to Scotland?" I say wondering why he would be doing this."That's very thoughtful of you to do boss."

"Yes and when you get there you can even get a job, you know like what you do here" he says with a very smug look on his face. "

Sir, if I'm going to get relocated just say so." I say now understanding. "

Ok, you're going to be relocated" Oscar said.

"I quit", I say walking out. "What?" he says stung with surprise. "Why would you back off such an offer?"

"Well sir because it's just not worth my trouble. I get to Scotland and I have nowhere to even sleep and no money for food and no plane to get there either." I say.

"The company's owner will take care of all that and the job payment will be double, no triple, than what you get here. The big boss really wants you over there." He says stumbling a bit. I wonder what's in it for him, probably a raise. Who says looks get you nowhere in life.

"Well then if that's how it is then I'll reconsider it." I say walking out of the office. They are all the same everywhere. Men are such pigs and only focusing on the outer part of me. Oh well it only helps me in the end. I walk down the block to the orphanage. That orphanage is my one and only home. I was abandoned as a child. My mother or at least she's the closest thing I have to one picked me up and took me here. She owns this place and she said I can stay here as long as I want. I owe her a lot and I know I can never pay her back for all she has done for me. "Hello ma, how have you been?" I say in a sweet voice.

"Very good Amaya, how was work today. Did you meet new people?" She said cooking something in the kitchen.

"Umm I have to talk to you about something ma." I tell her avoiding her eyes.

"What is it? You didn't get fired did you?" She said looking at me.

I say it frankly, "I got reassigned to Scotland."

"What? They can't do this!" She yells.

"No, ma, listen they're willing to pay me triple and they will offer me a house and everything." I say trying to sound hopeful. She may not be my real mother but she does care for me like a real one. "Mother I'm already 19 and this is of my choice." I say trying to sound older.

"Is this what you choose, you know you don't have to repay me back. I am your mother maybe not birth but I did raise you and I would do it all over again." She said with concern in her voice.

"Yes mother. I need to start packing but I want you to know this is what I choose this is a dream come true for me. I'm finally moving up in the world." I say trying to sound cheerful. The truth is that what I said is a lie. I'm doing it for my mother and all the kids I grew up with. Treating me so nicely and always caring for me. No matter what they say I will repay them somehow.

I hope I don't run into that scary girl again. I shouldn't have given her tickets.

**A/N: This chapter was written by one of my friends :)**


	4. A Bargain is Struck

Chapter 3: May

"You want to go where?!" my father yelled. He was turning red from screaming so much. Geez, you would think I asked him to donate all his money and move to Kansas to become a farmer or something like that. He always overreacts when it comes to things like this.

"Aww, come on Dad! Mel and I want to go to Scotland to check out this incredible exhibit that's over there!" I pleaded with my father. I really hate begging and asking for things from them because every time they need a 'favor' they use it against me. Like this one time my parents wanted me to go to a party full of rich bachelors. I really didn't want to go but they quilted me into going. They had just bought me this awesome horse and they told me how much of an unappreciative person I was because I wouldn't go to this one isnie weensie party. I ended up dragging Mel there and she hooked up with this hot, rich guy. They really aren't fit for each other but they're in "love". I just stood there and avoided contact with everybody. And this one other time mom and dad got me to model for these pictures. I thought they would be harmless. I ended up on the top ten rich sexy bachelorette list. I had never received so many messages on my Facebook account. It was crazy. I knew that I would have to pay extra for this but I didn't really care. Something about the exhibit really interested me, it called to me. I looked over at one of the brochures that the shy girl had given me. There was a picture of 2 swords, one black and the other gold. The swords were crossed and they made an X. Dangling between the swords was a gold necklace that has a sapphire in the middle. All of a sudden I remember where I had seen these things before. They were the things that the girl in my nightmares had been wearing. How is that possible? I have never seen these things in my life. How could I be dreaming about them? This just made me want to go to Scotland even more.

"Please Dad? I'll do whatever you want, just let me and Mel go to Scotland!" I pleaded.

"Whatever I want? Alright we have a deal." I know I'm going to pay for this.

"Ok so can we take one of your private jets? I want to take my car over there too."

"Yes, yes of course. When do you plan on leaving?" He inquired.

"Today" I replied. I headed upstairs to my room so I could start packing my stuff. I grabbed the biggest suitcase I could find, which was pretty damn big. I put in a few pairs of jeans, some shirts, undies, socks, a jacket, and toiletries. I put in some hiking clothes as well. If we're going to Scotland might as well go see the highlands as well. I tucked a Swiss army knife, a bottle of mace, and a Taser under all my clothes. One can never be too careful. I put in an extra backpack that I can use when we go hiking. Last but not least I tucked in my laptop, a solar-powered charger, my cell phone charger, and my IPod charger. I started checking all my things to make sure that hadn't forgotten anything when I remembered the tickets that the shy girl had given me. I headed back downstairs. I picked them up and went through them. One was just information on the exhibit and another was about the place where the exhibit was being displayed. The last pamphlet was a VIP pass to go backstage into the exhibit. We will have a chance to pull the swords out of the rock that they were imbedded in. Cool. Nobody had ever managed to pull the swords out. They had been there since the bloody battle known as "Maiden's Fall" in honor of the maidens, who lost their lives there. The more I read the more certain I became of something. The Maidens were the women whose deaths I had been dreaming of. Just as I was about to start panicking our butler, Sebastian, came in and announced that he had sent a driver to go fetch Mel and that our private jet was almost ready for departure. He went upstairs to go fetch my bags and take them to the plane. I put the pamphlets in my bag and walked out to the garage. I got in my car and drove out to our private air strip. The plane that we were getting in was huge. Drove up to the back up the plane and drove up the ramp into the plane. I got out and some of the men started strapping the car in so that it wouldn't move during the flight. I walked back out to the air strip and watched the final preparations. I turned around when I heard the car pulling up. Mel was getting out of the black town car carrying some bags. The driver was right behind her dragging two more suitcases. Did she bring her whole closet? I don't know why she always travels with so many things. Mel saw the look I gave her and she just smiled and shrugged.

"Why are you traveling so light?" I asked her sarcastically.

"Shut up May! Scotland is cold and you know I hate the cold!" She retorted.

"Oh don't worry about the cold. I'm sure you'll find some guy to keep you nice and warm at night" I said suggestively.

She gave me a dark look and walked past me onto the stairs leading up to the plane. I laughed and followed her. I looked back over my parents' land, the mansion, and all the stupid things they had acquired over the years. The setting sun was setting casted a rich golden glow over everything. One of the windows of the car reflected the light of the sun onto my face and blinded me. I felt light-headed all of a sudden and another vision came upon me:

_I was standing on a grassy ledge looking out upon a vast army of men. The sun was rising and everybody was preparing for battle. I walked down to a small party of people mounting up onto their horses. I mounted mine a started riding out to the front of the ranks. I was to lead them to battle. I was to begin the bloodshed. My every instinct rebelled against hurting and killing others but it had to be done in order to stop the Darkness of the king. I pulled out my sword and shouted for the troops to follow. The rising sun reflected off the blade and blinded me._

One of the workers had caught me and prevented me from falling down the stairs. I waved off the men that were standing around me. I got up and staggered inside the plane and sat down on the closet sofa. Mel walked over to me and hugged me with one arm.

"Hey, are you feeling alright?" she asked. I could hear the concern in her voice. I looked up at her and almost screamed. It wasn't Mel I was looking at. It was one of the Maidens. The one who had her throat sliced open. I quickly looked down to compose myself. Was I going crazy? Why was I seeing things? Maybe it had something to do with my abi- No. Don't even think about it.

"May?" Mel sounded really worried this time.

"I'm fine! That's just what I get for not eating all day." The lie slipped from my lips before I realized it.

"You idiot, I'll go ask Sebastian to get you something to eat right now!" She hurried back out of the plane to go talk to my butler. I sat back and closed my eyes. My head hurt and I was really hungry but I knew that wasn't what was bothering me. Something was wrong but I didn't know what that "something" was. Did this have anything to do with the dreams I've been having? There is only one way of finding out. I have to get to that exhibit in Scotland as soon as possible. Mel and Sebastian came on board carrying a whole bunch of food. As soon as they were done setting them down I went up to the captain and told him that we were ready to leave. I grabbed a poptart and settled down on a fluffy recliner. I pulled out my IPod and turned up the volume. I leaned the chair back and fell asleep to the angelic voice of Ronnie Radke.


	5. Welcome to Alba

Chapter 4: May

I woke up a few times during the flight to eat and such but for the most part I slept. Thankfully, I didn't have any more dreams. The captain announced that we would be landing soon so I sat in a seat right next to the window and buckled up. I looked out and gasped. Scotland was absolutely beautiful. Unlike Las Vegas, it was green and full of trees. I saw many rivers and lakes and even a few castles here and there. When the plane made the final decent I was almost sad. I had truly been enjoying the view. We were landing in a privet airstrip belong to one of the most exclusive hotels in all of Scotland. It was made out in the middle of nowhere in order for rich people to escape all the stress of the real world. If it were up to me I would have just stayed at any random and cheap hotel but my parents had to have the best. They had to have the biggest, most expensive, and impractical crap out there. As soon as the plane landed I unbuckled my seatbelt and stood up. I stretched a little bit and then grabbed my bag. The hotel bellboys would take care of the rest. I stepped out into the latter and took a deep breath. The air was clean and fresh and cold. I could already hear Mel complaining and that made me smile. I walked down and waited for the plane compartment to be opened. I walked inside and opened my car. I sat inside and waited for it to be unstrapped. When I got the all clear I slowly backed out and followed the arrows that led into a garage. There weren't many other cars so I guess not a lot of visitors were here. Good, I don't need any nosy rich people trying to get information out of me. I had made the mistake of telling somebody that I company wasn't doing so well once and let's just say my father will never let me live that down. I finished parking my car and got out. I started walking towards the entrance to the building but I felt as if somebody was watching me. I turned around and saw a huge man just staring at me. Like he was just standing there staring at me. I turned to look behind me to see if he was staring at somebody else but we were the only two people there. I quickly looked him over and determined that if he attacked me I would have no chance whatsoever. He was buff and had big arms and legs. He was also tall, about 6'2, and absolutely gorgeous. I couldn't help but notice his dirty blond hair and sexy blue eyes. As our eyes met his turned an even darker shade of blue. I was instantly turned on. Almost as if he could read my mind, he gave me a seductive and inviting smile. Just as I started walking towards him, Mel appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, what's taking you so long?! The guy is waiting to show us to our rooms." She stood there impatiently tapping her foot. She didn't seem to notice the man or my intentions. I glared at her and with one last look at the man I went inside the building. I followed Mel into the lobby where we were greeted by an older gentleman who led us up the grand stair case up to a very fancy elevator. We were led up to a pair of adjoined rooms. Mel and I went into our bed rooms for the rest of the night. I checked the vouchers for the times of the tours and set my alarm. I took my laptop out of the case and charged it along with my phone, Ipod, and taser. Then I put my pj's on and slipped into the huge fluffy bed. I stared at the ceiling for a long time, I tossed and turned for what seem like hours but when I checked my phone I saw that it had only been a few minutes. As I struggled to fall asleep my thoughts wandered to the man who I saw in the parking garage. I wondered who he was, probably some rich company owner or something because he was allowed to stay here. He was an extremely attractive man and I smiled thinking about his arms. I don't know why but I've always had a weakness for big and muscled arms.

After a while, I gave up on falling asleep and got out of bed. I grabbed one of those bathroom robes that the housekeeping people put out. I walked over to the glass doors that lead out to an outside terrace. I opened the door and a cold blast of air hit me. I got goosebumps and was quickly shivering but still I stepped outside. I grabbed a comfy chair and took it into a corner of the terrace. I sat down with my legs under me and used the robe as a blanket. I breathed in the air and all I could smell was trees and maybe a hint of rain. The air was so clean and as I looked up I saw the moon surrounded by thousands of stars. The moon was huge and bright and cast a white glow upon everything. The starts twinkled and danced in the dark blue sky. I'd never seen anything like it. I have always lived in a big city filled with pollution and big buildings that made a natural wonder like this impossible. I looked out at the trees surrounding the hotel and noticed that a few miles away there was a rocky hill. I could barely make out the many caves that where carved into the side of it. I decided that after our tour in the museum, Mel and I should go check those caves out. They weren't far from the hotel and it would be fun to hike and climb instead of spending all day locked up in here. I grinned because Mel probably wouldn't agree with me but I knew she would go with me. No matter what dumb thing I wanted to do and how much she didn't want to do it, Mel always came with me. I sat there thinking about my friendship with Mel when out of nowhere the sound of screeching tires made me snap out of it. I looked down at the driveway and saw an Aston Martin speeding its way towards the hotel. I couldn't see the person driving because of the moonlight but I recognized the car. It was the one that the mysterious man was getting into earlier. For a second I considered going downstairs to see if I could strike up a conversation with him but I decided against it. Mel wouldn't let me hear the end of it if she found out about it. I looked back up at the stars and thought about the last few days. Turning 18, having the same nightmare over and over and now the visions all within the last 4 days. I sighed. Hopefully the visit to the museum would answer some questions or at least make me feel better. I sighed again and stood up but quickly fell backwards into the chair. I winced as my legs started tingling painfully. I stretched them slowly and then slowly stood up and waddled my way back inside. I shut the door and threw the bathrobe onto a nearby chair. I shivered and quickly got into bed. I curled up into the fluffy blankets and closed my eyes. I was just about to fall asleep when I heard a quick knock on the door. I groaned and jumped up to answer. I opened the door and was surprised to find the old gentleman that had led us up to our rooms.

"I'm terribly sorry to disturb you at such an ungodly hour but I was told that it was of the utmost importance." he said while handing me an envelope.

"It's quite alright. Truth be told, I wasn't even asleep yet." I took the envelope and looked it over. It didn't have a name on it but it was made out of expensive cardstock.

"Would you like for one of the maids to bring you up some tea?" he asked, looking concerned.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you." I smiled at him and he smiled back. He turned around and started walking back down the hallway so went back in and closed the door. I turned on the little lamp on the nightstand and sat on the bed. I opened the envelope and pulled out a letter. I opened it up and squinted in the low light to make out what it said.

_'Halo Fair Maiden,_

_I am glad to see a woman of such beauty sharing this hotel with me. I was afraid my stay here would be boring. I would enjoy if you would join me for an early breakfast tomorrow at 6am sharp. I would love to learn more about such a lovely looking woman such as yourself. In order to make sure you will heed my request I should also mention that I know about the strange visions you are having. I will me you in the outside patio at the table closest to the lake._

_Sincerely,_

_The MacNeil.'_

By the time I finished reading the letter my eyebrows had disappeared into my bangs. I didn't know what surprised me the most. The fact that this 'MacNeil' thought I would run over to meet him as if I was expected to or the fact that he knew about my visions. Well, actually, the whole vision thing was definitely more surprising because I hadn't told anybody about them. So how did this man know? Who was he? I looked at my clock and saw that I had about four hours before I had to get up and ready to go meet him so I put the letter back in the envelope and turned off the light. I reached over to my IPod and set the alarm to 5:30. I got back into bed and closed my eyes and finally drifted off to sleep.

_It was beginning again. The nightmare with the burning battlefield and the screams of men dying. No, not again. Not again! Then everything went dark and I heard a voice._

"Not tonight, fair maiden, tonight I will guard your dreams. Sleep peacefully and dream."

_And that's exactly what I did. The scene this time was a castle on the top of a hill overlooking a lake. The castle was rugged, not built for beauty but for defense and war. Still it was charming it its own way. I was flying over the blue lake and closer to the castle. I passed over the surrounding walls and looked down at a village. People were bustling about on their way to do the chores of the day. I flew around to the back of the castle and then slowly floated up to a stone terrace. There was a woman dressed in skin tight black leathers. She looked tired and pale. I looked at her closer and realized that it was Lady Maiesta. She was shaking her head and talking to somebody inside. I couldn't hear what she was saying but the look of her face suggested it wasn't pleasant. I floated closer, trying to see if I could make out what she was saying but no such luck. So I just stood there, watching the Lady pace back and forth on the terrace. She looked so stressed and tired that I just wanted to reach out and hug her. I took a step forward and she stopped walking, her head snapping up and looking straight at me. I jumped backwards, startled. She tilted her head to the side, looking confused and took a step forward. I was looking for somewhere to run to when a man stepped outside onto the terrace. The Lady shift her gaze to him and I bolted behind a chair. She looked back to where I had been and then started looking around wildly._

_"Maiesta, we cannot keep this war up. The men are tired and the King grows angry with us for tearing up the cou-What's wrong?" The man seemed to notice how the Lady was looking around frantically._

_"I saw somebody, she was right there!" The Lady tilted her head again. "She's still here. I feel her but can't see her." I cowered behind the chair. I've seen what she was capable of and didn't wish to confront her._

_"Did she seem to want to harm you?!" The man put his hand on a sword that was sheathed on his hip and stepped further onto the terrace. I saw him clearly for the first time, it was the mysterious man from the hotel! He looked younger and was dressed in a Scottish leine but it was him alright._

_"No, she seemed lost. Her soul is Innocent." Maiesta put her arm on the man's arm to calm him. He relaxed a bit but didn't remove his hand from his sword. "Will you come out? We won't hurt you." I hesitated but something in her voice made me want to obey her every word. I shook my head and hid even more, fearing that she was trying to control me. I saw the Lady's eyebrows rise as if she were surprised and then she smiled warmly. "There are not many creatures who can deny my command. I apologize for trying to force my will upon you, will you please show yourself to me again? I felt that you had kind intentions and I would never harm a kind soul." I knew she was telling the truth, I just knew. I was scared but, hey, what the hell. It's just a dream, right? I stood up and looked at them._

_"Hello lass," the man said. "What are you doing here?" I shrugged. His eyes narrowed and he looked from me to Lady Maiesta and back. A look of realization crossed his features and he seemed to be about to say something. The Lady touched his arm again and shook her head slightly._

_"Thank you for standing up. Do you know how you got here?" The Lady looked straight at me._

_I shook my head. "All I did was fall asleep." I answered._

_"I see." She smiled wide and came towards me. "It was nice to meet you but MacNeil and I have very important matters to attend to and we cannot risk anybody learning of them." She reached out and cupped my face. I felt a shock of electricity race through me and when she shuddered I knew she felt it too. "I will send you back to where you came from." She said as I felt power gathering._

_"Wait! I've been seeing you di-"Before I could finish the sentence I was thrown into a powerful vortex. I felt as it I was falling and then slammed into the ground._


End file.
